Tag: Oregon

Categories
PCT Preparation

Border to Border – solving the logistic puzzle

Border to border
takes 5.3 million steps
with beginner's mind.

I am watching the cold rain drip off my office window thinking about one year ago – making lists, buying food and gear, all the while wondering what the hell I had got myself into. Even after completing the hike, that is an unanswerable question because everything changes. What I do know is that I prepared as well as I could and then let go of my preconceived notion of what was going to actually happen. I am dedicating this post to all the hikers going through their own preparation while the deeper questions continue to swirl.

I entered my name in the hiker’s journal at the Mexican Border with little idea what was to come.

I have written about my gear and food. This post is about logistics. Self-supported hikers do not have anyone meeting them during the hike. They hitchhike to resupply locations and either pick up boxes mailed to that location or buy food locally. If you are a self-supported thru-hiker, I recommend using this excellent Trail Resupply Guide from Halfway Anywhere. I used the gear reviews posted by Halfway Anywhere extensively in my preparation. His resupply guide paints a clear picture of what self-supported thru-hikers would have done differently. He covers resupply strategy/frequency, mailing boxes versus purchasing food, resupply locations, food selection, and much more. My post focuses on supported hikers and those who support them, but all hikers might find missing pieces to their logistics puzzle.

I was looking way too clean on my first hiking day on March 28 last year from Campo to Lake Marina, 20 miles away. My journey was one of a supported hiker.

I was so fortunate that Pleasure-Way supported me during my 118 hiking days that spanned 151 calendar days. Her support allowed me to adjust as I learned what gear and food I actually needed. Her moral support was even more essential, as was my ability to recover more quickly during my zeros because I didn’t need to hitchhike into town and run errands all day.

I became pretty efficient at the art of resupply, aided by multiple checklists and a stockpile of food and gear. (taken at an RV park in Susanville, CA)

Even though my hiking logistics puzzle was simpler, Pleasure-Way and I had to work on two puzzles simultaneously because the supporting party navigates a complex rural landscape. We both needed to meet at a known place at a specific time. How many of you have had trouble finding your party after getting separated while shopping or at an event. Imagine an event the size of the western US with limited cell service in remote locations and questionable roads. For more information about how to pull all of this off, take a look at my post, Pleasure-Way: an interview with 2021’s best Trail Angel. Constantly adjusting our plan for when and how to meet was more complicated than my resupply puzzle.

Below, I have copied another spreadsheet to aid your planning, Rib’s Border to Border Logistics. This list shows every hiking day and our meeting locations for zeros and resupplies. We became very good at resupply points that did not cost any miles; in fact, they lengthened my days. If I knew I was coming into a resupply, I could push my mileage that day. Nearly half of my 30+ mile days ended in a meet-up with Pleasure-Way. As you use this for your planning, remember that we jumped to northern California twice to avoid snow in the Sierra and meet family members. We were fortunate that we did not have to jump to avoid new fires, but this is now the new reality for many hikers.

Rib’s Border to Border LogisticsDownload

As you continue to put your logistics puzzles together, occasionally take a break and walk the hike in your mind’s eye. The beautiful and solitary moments are endless and await your trip of a lifetime. Pleasure-Way and I look forward to seeing you at the Frog Lake trailhead near Mt. Hood on July 22-25.

I was obsessed with the blooming yucca plants from the very first day – some looked like small trees, others like swaying bamboo. Dropping into the high chaparral from rainy Oregon was stunning.
The Mojave desert was dramatic with constant reminders of the fragility of life.
Southern California slowly gave way into the foothills of the Sierra. Darth Vader was with me as I approached Bird Spring Pass.
The southern portion of the Sierra combines desolate mountain basins followed by lush valleys.
Crossing Forester Pass at over 13K feet is always a big day, but even more so with many miles of snow to cross.
If Shangri-La exists, Evolution Valley tops my list of nominees.
The wind was whipping and I wore all my warm clothes climbing Sonora Pass.
I arrived at a much-needed meet-up with Pleasure-Way at the Carter Meadow trailhead in northern California.
The Three Sister’s Wilderness in Oregon offers fast hiking and expansive views.
Staying focused on the trail is all-important on the Knife’s edge in the Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington.
The Northern Cascades feel like the end of this hike and the start of the amazing Canadian Rockies.
Categories
Gear and Food

Food for Thought

I am dedicating this post to feeding future PCT hikers. I remember sitting in your chair thinking this idea is madness and the details- overwhelming. But know after your preparation, you will stand at the Mexican border on your start day, throw consideration to the wind, and take the first of 5.3 million steps. I met a PCT veteran providing trail magic that said he feels the energy and passion of the new class every year. It keeps drawing him back to support and meet them. Here is my virtual attempt, and I look forward to meeting some of you when you pass through Oregon.

Pleasure-Way and I have a New Year’s Eve tradition of looking back through our calendars and photos to remind us of the year we are departing. One memory stood out that foreshadowed 2021’s wild and unpredictable nature. My story marks your last opportunity to get permits for 2022 this coming Tuesday, January 11, at 10:30 AM Pacific Standard Time.

This was just another day in the zoomsphere with Kiki, my daughter’s COVID kitty. It was like the day when an algorithm changed my life.

This time last year, I dutifully logged into the permit application system two hours before it opened in hopes that waiting at the start line would give me an advantage. Due to COVID, the PCTA did not issue permits until January. The seconds ticked away until the portal came to life, and I entered the queue. My excitement plummeted when I saw that 9536 people were randomly placed ahead of me to get one of the 2500 permits. I watched in disbelief for a few moments while in a zoom meeting. My place in line decremented every 20 seconds, translating to a 53-hour queue. Any sane person would have logged out. Instead, I trodded upstairs and started harvesting sour grapes. “It was a stupid idea anyway.” “I could never have made it.” During lunch, I felt relieved that an algorithm had rescued me.

When I returned to my zoomsphere of meetings, my queue number was 15. What the hell, where did all those people go? I told my work colleagues that I would rejoin after figuring out what to do when it was my turn. You only have 10 minutes to start the process once you get in and 20 minutes to make your permit selection. I grabbed one of the remaining early permits on March 29. I didn’t know what had happened. I felt like my future just branched, and whatever I thought it was an hour before was no longer. Later, I discovered that other hikers logged into the permit system with multiple computers and asked family, friends, and neighbors to log in. Then they kept the best queue position and logged off the others – duh!

I sent this chat to family members. It reminds me of how trivial things like permits and hiking are in the grand scheme.

There is nothing more personal and unique than the food choices made by my fellow hikers. I am more engineer and less artist in the domain of backpacking food, and my packing ritual looked like an assembly line. On the other extreme was a talented hiker named Tuna, who selected the cheapest food available along the way. He had only brought muffins for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the six-day stretch where we met. Some people bring fresh ingredients and actually cook meals, and others don’t bring a stove and hydrate their food cold. Some think it is all about calories filling their packs with junk food, and others follow a vegan diet. My suggestions are one slice through a myriad of choices. I broke down the process into three steps.

My favorite meal of the day was “second breakfast,” consisting of an oatmeal concoction and coffee smothered in heavy cream, giving me 1700 calories. I typically started hiking by 6 AM and then stopped after four hours for a proper break. This photo is in the Sierra just south of Mammouth Lakes.

Step one is to determine your daily caloric needs. You can start with your Basal Metabolic Rate, which considers your height, age, gender, and activity level. My BMR is around 2300 calories. My simple approach was to add 110 calories per mile of hiking, bringing me to 4720 calories for a 22-mile day. I like this backpacking calorie calculator, which provides more variables to play with and gives me a range of 4500 to 5350 calories for a 22-mile day. That seems like a ton of calories, and it is too high for hikes of a week or less. But this caloric calculation was accurate after one month when my readily available fat was gone. I lost 19 pounds in a month and I kept increasing my food to end the hike only 13 pounds down.

Step two is translating caloric needs into a food plan. I set a goal to carry foods that, on average, contained 120 calories per ounce. If I assume 4800 calories a day, I need to carry 40 oz or 2.5 lbs per day. I would typically leave my resupply stops with four days of food weighing 10 pounds or around 40% of my total pack weight.

Step 3 is deciding what food you want to bring that meets the 120 calories per ounce goal. I started searching far and wide for interesting options. Not surprisingly, I ended up on some survivalists web sites as they prepare for the apocalypse. Food choice is not just about calories; you must want to eat it day after day. I found that my digestive system changed, so I needed to pay attention to how my body responded to constantly eating and moving at the same time. My food experiment never ended, but I did land in a place that worked well. You can download Rib’s Food List and Calculator below, which shows my diet during the last two months.

Rib’s Food List and Calculator
Thanks to Pleasure-Way’s support, I was able to load up on fresh fruit and vegetables several times a week. This photo was taken after a 25-mile day climbing out of the San Gorgonio Pass into Big Bear.

I can feel the anticipation and energy build as you prepare for this beautiful adventure. I hope to share some logistical tidbits before you hit the trail.

Categories
Hiking the PCT

Bridge of the Gods

Native American Legend provides a vivid description of the formation and destruction of the Bridge of the Gods. As the Klickitat tribe tells it, the Great Spirit had two warring sons, Pahto to the north of the river and Wy’east to the south. The Bridge of the Gods was created as a way for the family to meet, but the brothers fought over a beautiful woman named Loowit. Their anger shook the earth with fire. The bridge fell into the river. Loowit could not choose between the brothers, and some say she perished in the fighting. For punishment, the Great Spirit turned his sons into mountains — Pahto into Mount Adams and Wy’east into Mount Hood. Loowit became the beautiful Mount St. Helens.

Geologists believe that such a land bridge did exist after the Bonneville landslide, roughly 1,500 years ago, sent a large amount of debris from the northern side of the gorge into the Columbia River. The debris blocked the Columbia River with a natural dam approximately 200 feet high and 3.5 miles long, possibly allowing Native Americans to cross the river. Eventually, the river broke through the barrier and washed away most of the debris, forming the Cascades Rapids, submerged in 1938 by the construction of the Bonneville Dam.

The Bridge of the Gods is also where Cheryl Strayed decided to end her 1,100 mile, 94-day PCT hike. Her book, Wild (2012), and the subsequent movie (2014), starring Reese Witherspoon and produced by her film company, has added more mythology to the PCT and this particular location. Her story struck a chord. In The New York Times, Dani Shapiro called the book “spectacular… at once a breathtaking adventure tale and a profound meditation on the nature of grief and survival.” I have met hikers from across the world motivated to hike the PCT based on Wild.

As I crossed the bridge at 5:30 AM, I was struck by the power of this place. It was more than my angst looking down 140 feet through steel grates into the swirling Columbia River. The full moon in the west reminded me of my Zen group’s metta service offered each month. Metta, or loving-kindness, is a practice of directing positive energy and kindness to oneself and then to an ever-expanding circle, including those you dislike. Perhaps this practice could have benefitted Pahto and Wy’east. I wondered how this journey would contribute to me and others. It urged me to look deeper during my remaining days to discover new insights that might emerge. The journey has given me an entirely new perspective of how my two-trillion cells function through my experience rather than my conceptual understanding. I will carry those insights through the rest of my days, but what else does the trail wish to teach me?

As for the details, I completed 2,147 miles in 94 hiking days, including all the open sections of California and Oregon. That is an average of about 23 miles per day. As expected, the pace in Oregon was faster, completing the open sections in 15 days, or about 26 miles per day. I plan to slow the pace down in Washington due to the increased difficulty and savor the remaining time.

I see Mt. Hood from the south the most from the ski areas.
Mt. Hood in the summer is a beautiful place shared by many enthusiasts from climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, and even skiers and snowboarders engaged in race camps. My children, all aspiring racers, spent time up here in the summer training in the day and rubbing shoulders with world-class skiers and cleaning the dorms at night to earn their keep.
My brother Charles treated me to brunch at the historic Timberline Lodge (shout out to my sister for the great idea). Charles is to blame for getting my father into backpacking which then infected the rest of us. By the way, I don’t suggest “all you can eat” buffets when thru-hikers are in the vicinity.
Circumnavigating Mt. Hood requires a series of deep dives into the valleys that are the source of the White and Sandy rivers.
This is the first time I have had a close-up view of Mt. Hood from the northwest. You can see why few climbers take this route.

I decided to take the PCT alternate route down the Eagle Creek trail, which has been re-opened since a devastating fire three years ago. Tunnel Falls is one of many beautiful falls and refreshing swimming holes to explore.
Brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jeff and Lynne, kindly picked me up at the Eagle Creek trailhead and provided much-needed trail magic in the form of chocolate milk and ice cream bars, followed by a healthy dinner.
The now-famous East Wind Drive-In in Cascade Locks is featured as the last stop on Cheryl Strayed’s journey. It was all lit up as I started hiking at 5 AM.
The swirling Columbia River and full moon as I crossed the Bridge of the Gods.

Chapter Three begins here. I am so looking forward to getting to know the beautiful state of Washington.
Hiking out of the Columbia River Gorge takes 5K feet of climbing to gain 3.5k feet in elevation. The gorge is the lowest point on the trail and one of the most anticipated milestones on the PCT.
Categories
Hiking the PCT

My Backyard

In 2008, my son Mitchell and I started PCT section hiking with a 45-mile hike through the Sisters Wilderness Area. Retracing those steps, I recalled many funny stories and truly appreciate how fortunate I am that this is my backyard. It is more accurate to say that this is our backyard. These public lands are preserved for generations to come. These lands were the ancestral homes of the native peoples who lived here sustainably over many centuries before colonization.

It is natural and appropriate to have pride in the place we live. That was on full display during the hike in 2008 when I would ask the thru-hikers what their favorite section was so far. I was waiting for the correct answer; “it’s here in the Sisters”. The only response we heard was the Sierra, which did pique my interest to hike there. Over the years, I have doubted whether the Sisters Wilderness was, in fact, as special as I believed it to be. I will let you be the judge as you look at my photos from the last two days. I re-discovered the uniqueness of this combination of volcanic peaks, deep forests, and open plains. I have not seen anything like it.

One of my favorite stories from 2008 was our packs, which we felt were lightweight because they were less than 40 pounds. We were amazed to see thru-hikers zip by with what we would consider day packs. I remember Dragon Ant; he had a tiny pack and was logging 40 miles a day. I can still see him almost skipping over the ground. We got lost in the snow for at least 3 hours, developed an amazing array of blisters from hiking in wet boots, and did not carry enough water to cross the lava flow section. Despite all our troubles, Mitchell went on to section hike 800 miles in 2015, and I crossed the 2000-mile mark today.

The lesson that I share with hikers that I meet along the way is to be patient with yourself. Whether this is your first backpacking trip or you’ve been doing it for decades, you always make mistakes. You must learn and be adaptable whether your body is not performing as you’d hoped, or your gear is not working, or external factors change unexpectedly. The critical thing is that we develop our ability to accept, adapt, and learn from all that we experience. And that’s why every day, every step is a new adventure.

This week I’ve met folks from Oklahoma, Texas, Idaho, and Pennsylvania who have come to hike the Sisters Loop Trail. I welcomed them all to play in our backyard.

Mt Thielsen is the first peak to welcome north-bound PCT hikers. I climbed Thielsen last year and could see into Crater Lake from the summit.
This group provided some much needed trail magic at Summit Lake near Diamond Peak; some Oregon hospitality.
Diamond Peak from the north is normally not visible from below. This basin has a lot to explore and climb.
Walking towards my beloved South Sister, it does feel like my backyard.
North and Middle Sisters from the north show the glaciers and ruggedness of this area.
I was wrong in an earlier post, this is the way to Mordor.
Really, it can’t possibly be almost over. The celebration for completing mileage is getting a bit more subdued.
Categories
PCT Reflections

What Mind is Walking?

Last summer, during a training hike, I met a couple who had completed the PCT in 2015. We had a great discussion about why they enjoyed it so much and what it took to complete it. I then ask them whether I was too old, and they laughed and shared that an 82-year-old was keeping up with them during sections of their hike. The conversation concluded with this summary remark; “it’s a mental journey, not a physical one.”

As I’ve thought about that conversation, I have wondered how can 2,650 miles all be in one’s mind. I started meditating with the Corvallis Zen Circle ten years ago to develop my awareness. Jon Kabat-Zinn, internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher, defines awareness as “paying attention in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” I asked my Zen teacher, Abby Mushin Terris, for a Koan to guide my inquiry. Koans are unanswerable questions, at least through our everyday thought processes. After listening to my description, she offered the following Koan, “what mind is walking?” This question yielded some immediate surprises.

The first surprise is that during the early weeks when I was getting angry, depressed, or anxious about the hike, I could trace that anxiety to what I describe as my thinking mind. The thinking mind is a magnificent problem-solving machine, but it’s best when it has good information. At the start, I had a limited understanding of what was in store for me or whether I could complete this journey. When people would ask whether I was hiking to Canada, the only honest answer I could give was “I hope so, but I don’t know.” These kinds of answers drive the thinking mind crazy. With no tangible information to go on, I noticed it swirling into ever-changing stories and distractions that fueled my anxiety.

The second surprise came from observing my body walking. Using my awareness, I observed my body’s sensations, emotions, and thoughts while hiking all day. Walking over continuously changing terrain is complex. It is no wonder that roboticists have taken decades to develop robots that can marginally imitate how humans walk. I noticed how my body anticipated and applied thinking in real-time. For example, I observed that a split second before I stumble, multiple parts of my body had shifted their position in anticipation of the stumble, such as my arm position and the tightened grip of my hands on the hiking poles. I was not consciously aware that any of these actions had occurred even after I stumbled. So the question then is what mind is figuring all of this out if it is not my thinking mind located in my prefrontal cortex.

After hiking 1847 miles, I can share some insights into this question. In my case, I have identified 32 minds that are walking, and this is still evolving. They are all directly involved with getting me safely through each 12-hour day. These minds include individual joints and muscles (left foot, right knee, left hip flexor, etc.), organs (lungs, heart, bowels, etc.), senses (sight, hearing, balance, etc.), and my thinking mind. One technique used in meditation practice is to use your awareness to observe individual parts of your body, known as a body scan. I spend about one hour twice a day doing a body scan. I connect with each of these “walking-minds” by observing them and establish a direct connection as the day progresses.

My third surprise is the most important. I observed that my body loves to walk. It’s not necessary for me to will my way mile after mile while playing pump-up music. I don’t need any motivation at all; my body is designed to walk, and it feels rewarding. This practice has taken a great burden from my thinking mind. Now that I am in direct contact with the crucial systems of my body needed for walking, my thinking mind can focus on what it’s good at, like planning my route, finding water, solving problems, and applying its creative capacity.

Before you write this post off as the rantings of a crazed thru-hiker, I suggest you try this for yourself. During a walk, spend time focusing on one part of your body, like your left foot, and see whether your relationship with it changes. When would-be hikers ask me, my summary remark will be something like, “it’s a mental journey, and you need to engage the intelligence of both mind and body.”

Here are a few photos from my first 150 miles in Oregon!

It is so refreshing to hike in forests again and to see the 100 shades of green on display on Mt. Ashland.
Just after entering Oregon, I entered a field of Bear Grass in bloom. I did not see a single instance of this before arriving home.
The approach to Crater Lake covers about 10 miles of lava fields. The skill of the trail makers was impressive.
The PCT has an alternate route that follows the Crater Lake Rim Trail. Pleasure-Way joined me to enjoy this national treasure.
Wizard Island shouts mystery and adventure.

Categories
Hiking the PCT

Leaving Hotel California

"Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

<start massive air guitar solo here>
                    Don Henley / Glenn Lewis Frey / Don Felder

The theme song for this blog has been running through my head for 400 miles. I was wondering whether I would ever leave. The California section of the PCT is overwhelming, 1692 miles and a gross elevation gain of 257K feet. And true to the song, the majority of PCT hikers never leave. An estimated 80% of hikers that start the PCT do not finish, and from my observations, most drop out before hitting the Oregon border. It took me 79 hiking days and 22 miles a day to leave. I was struck when standing here that almost two-thirds of the journey is behind me – even more reason to savor every day.

Only the northern terminus milestone on the US/Canadian border is more significant to me than completing California. It felt so good to hike the 20 miles through the Siskiyous and into Ashland through thick forests. I found the passage back to the place I was before.

My blog and photos have been a walking ad for the beauty of California, a great state, to be sure. As I leave, I also have some friendly feedback for the state that considers itself Oregon’s big brother. First, was it really necessary to wind all over the place to see every mountain range? The drive from the Oregon border to Mexico on I-5 is 807 miles. So why did you ask the PCT thru-hikers to hike over twice that many miles? I feel that you are trying a bit too hard to affirm your status. Oregon, home to the humble and efficient beavers, asks hikers to walk 460 miles compared to a 309 mile drive up I-5. We have other incredible sights to share, like the Alvord Desert and the Eagle Cap Wilderness. We could have used a zigzag course and pushed the miles up to a respectable 700 or so. The same is true for Washington. We are missing the Olympic National park, how about a thru-hiker ferry ride?

You get my point; I love you, California, but now I am excited to come home to the forests, bugs, and volcanos. We got this, and you are welcome to visit and leave whenever you want. Here are some funky photos to close this chapter of the journey.

Good intentions aside, this sign on Mt. Laguna from my third day wins the award for least helpful and most discouraging.
The Coulter Pine wins the award for best pine cone. The cones have half-inch knife-like hooks and can weigh up to 11 pounds. No wonder Coulter pines carry the nickname of “widowmakers,” but I believe most life insurance policies exclude this cause of death.
Near Deep Creek Canyon, I kept hearing revving engines. The trail crossed this “road,” which turns out to be a famous off-road challenge course. And people think hiking 12 hours a day is wacko.
The trail passed under I-15, and I just kept walking towards the light. Then I started wondering whether that is what I was supposed to do.
Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce brings trail weary PCT hikers through one of Hollywood’s favorite movie sets. Before clicking on this link, test your movie trivia skills and name at least two movies set in this location.
Hiker Town is the “gateway” to the 40-mile trek across the Mojave Desert. The owner gave me a 30′ description of how he bought the land when he learned that then-Governor Schwarzenegger planned to create a subdivision for 100K people in this area. After buying it, he was shocked that homeless people kept stopping by asking for water. It was then he learned about the PCT. The housing development never happened due to a lack of water, so he and his wife created an oasis that is free for the many thru-hikers that pass each year.
We stopped at a remote campground and were invited to join this group of men that had prepared cornish game hens and other goodies for thru-hikes. It turns out that we were being hosted by the current PCTA Board President and other board members.
My son Scott is featured in the best sunset photo, and it also captures how tough it is to choose one’s freeze-dried dinner after a long day. I think biscuits and gravy was the winner.
Scott and I were trying to figure out where Forester Pass was from the top of Mt. Whitney. Good thing there are trails and navigation apps or we would still be wandering around out there.
I loved this DIY Trail Angel stop in the middle of nowhere with all the things a hiker might need and even solar lights for late-night hikers.
Limit Situation Trail Magic was unbelievable. This group of friends set up four days a week to support PCT hikers. The food was amazing; custom-made pizza, homemade burgers, and salads. They even gave us their really cool bandana. If hikers want, you can stay for the evening, and they will cook breakfast. Really good people who feel that spending time in nature is a worthwhile and important experience.
My most dangerous fall came while trying to cross this snowfield before Carson Pass. With the rest of the hikers, I believed the snow was behind us and did not have microspikes. I fell while crossing above the snowfield with exposure to over a hundred-foot steep fall into the rocks. Somehow, I pushed off as I fell and landed on the trail. Every step matters and this one was a massive wake-up call.
The PCT maps missed the fact that we were crossing through the State of Jefferson. Apparently, Seiad Valley was the epicenter to get statehood back in the 1930s, and then WW2 got in the way. The general store has all the State of Jefferson items for sale that you might be looking for. Any aspiring graphic artists might want to help them out with their logo.
Pleasure-Way has been hiking out with me or meeting me at the end of sections. This picture is heading north out of Sonora pass.